Handle operating means



Dec. 14, 1965 E. K. MAURSEY 3,222,951

HANDLE OPERATING MEANS Filed Oct. 20, 1964 INVENTOR.

waif/ United States Patent 3,222,951 HANDLE OPERATING MEANS Ethan K.Maursey, Warren, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 406,662 4Claims. (Cl. 74543) This application is a continuation-in-part of mycopending application Serial No. 266,249, filed March 19, 1963, nowabandoned.

This invention relates to handle operating means and more particularlyto vehicle body handle operating means.

In the past, various means have been employed for securing operatinghandles to the driven shaft of such vehicle body mechanisms as windowregulators and inside door lock operators. A common disadvantage of manyof these previous securing means has been that they require specialtools for installation and removal.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide improvedhandle operating means which may be installed or removed without the useof any special tools. Another object of this invention is to provideimproved handle operating means including a securing member having afirst portion eng-ageable with a mechanism shaft to hold the handle onthe shaft, and a second portion which may easily be grasped by anoperator to move the first portion into or out of engagement with themechanism shaft. Still another object of this invention is to provide inthe improved handle operating means a securing member having a secondoperating portion which blends into the contours of the handle topresent a pleasing appearance therewith.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a handle operating means according tothis invention in installed position on a driven shaft;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 22of FIGURE 1; and

Fl GURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of FIGURE 1.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, the handle operatingmeans of this invention generally includes a handle or operating member12 having a hub 14, a shank 16 and a knob 18 rotatably mounted on anupstanding boss on the shank. A slot 20 in handle 12 extends along thelongitudinal center line thereof from the edge of the hub substantiallythroughout the length of the shank. A depending boss 22 on the hub isprovided with a splined spindle bore for nonrotatably receiving asimilarly splined driven spindle 23 of a mechanism to be operated. Boss22 is further provided with a pair of slots 24 opening to the bore ofthe boss.

A resilient securing member 26 includes an elongated portion 28 havingan offset bent end 30, and a return bent generally U-shaped holdingportion 32 formed with a generally circular opening in the bightthereof. A decorative flexible plastic strip 34 is secured to portion28.

Assuming nOW that member 26 is disassembled from handle 12 and that itis desired to install the handle on spindle 23, the member 26 is graspedto compress the portions 28 and 32 from their rel-axed divergentrelation, as shown in FIGURE 3, so that member 26 may be inserted in thehandle. Member 26 and handle 12 are then moved longitudinally of eachother to press portion 32 of member 26 over boss 22 to engage the legsof portion 32 within slots 24. Concurrently, portion 28 of member 26 ispositioned snugly within slot 20, it being initially deformed downwardlyso that the offset end 30 will be located under a rib 38 on shank 16.Portion 28 of resilient member 26 will remain slightly deformed to holdthe off- 3,222,951 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 ice set end 30 thereof againstrib 38, and thus resist longitudinal movement of member 26 relative tohandle 12. As will be noted in FIGURE 1, the decorative strip 34 liesflush with the outer surface of handle 12 so that a pleasing appearanceof the handle assembly is effected.

The spindle 23 is then inserted within the spindle bore, the tapered endof the spindle serving to deform the legs of portion 32 slightlyoutwardly of slots 24 to permit such insertion. When an annular groove36 in spindle 23 is generally aligned with slots 24, the legs of portion32 snap into this groove to hold handle 12 on the spindle againstmovement relative thereto, FIGURES 1 and 2.

When it is desired to remove the handle from spindle 23, the elongatedportion 28 is depressed to disengage offset end 30 from rib 38, andmember 26 is then grasped and pulled out of handle 12 to remove the legsof portion 32 from slots 24 and groove 36. The handle may then be freelyremoved from the spindle. It is now apparent that the installation andremoval of the handle of this invention may be effected by an operatorwithout having to resort to the special tools, and laborious proceduresheretofore required.

Thus new and improved handle operating means are provided.

I claim:

1. Means for operating a mechanism having a driven shaft comprising, incombination, a handle member provided with a slot opening outwardly fromthe surface of said handle member and a hub portion adjacent one end ofsaid handle member for receiving said shaft for free axial movementtherein, means on said hub portion for nonrotatably securing said handlemember to said shaft, and a member having a first decorative portionlocated within said slot and anchored to said handle adjacent the otherend thereof and a second holding portion, said holding portion beingreleasably secured directly within said hub and including means operableindepedently of said nonrotatable securing means and engageable withcooperating means on said shaft to positively lock said shaft againstaxial movement within said hub portion.

2. Means for operating a mechanism having a driven shaft comprising, incombination, a handle member provided with a main slot opening outwardlyfrom the surface of said handle member and extending substantially thelength thereof and a hub portion for receiving said shaft and providedwith a slot therein, a holding member having a first decorative portionand a second holding portion extending longitudinally thereof, saidholding member and said handle being movable longitudinally of eachother to locate said first portion within said main slot and said secondportion within the slot of said hub portion, cooperative means on saidhandle and said first portion for releasably anchoring said holdingmember to said handle, and cooperative means on said second holdingportion and said hub engageable with cooperating means on said shaft forreleasably holding said shaft within said hub.

3. Handle operating means for driving a shaft member comprising, incombination, a handle member provided with a slot opening outwardly fromthe surface of said handle and extending substantially the lengththereof and a hub bored to receive said shaft member, said hub beingprovided with a pair of slots opening to the bore thereof, and asecuring member insertable into and freely removable from said handlemember, said securing member having a first elongated decorative portionadapted to be located within said handle slot and a second return bentgenerally U-shaped portion adapted to have the legs thereof locatedwithin the slots of said hub portion and disposed therewithin to embracesaid shaft and hold said shaft within said hub.

4. Means for operating a mechanism having a driven shaft comprising, incombination, a handle member provided with a slot opening outwardly fromthe surface of said handle member and extending substantially the lengththereof, and a bored hub portion depending from said handle adjacent oneend thereof for receiving said shaft and including a pair of slotscommunicating with the bore thereof, a holding member having a firstelongated decorative portion and a second generally U-shaped holdingportion, said holding member being movable longitudinally of said bodyportion to locate said first decorative portion within the slot of saidbody portion and the legs of said second holding portion within theslots of said hub portion and partially within the bore thereof, saidlegs of said second holding portion being engageable with means on saidshaft to hold said body portion on said shaft against movement axiallythereof.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Barlow 74544 Briggs et al. 292348 Lasch 292-353Forbes 74-544 X Baumann 74-553 Martin 292348 Herr et a1 74545 FOREIGNPATENTS BROUGHTON G. DURHAM, Primary Examiner.

1. MEANS FOR OPERATING A MECHANISM HAVING A DRIVEN SHAFT COMPRISING, INCOMBINATION, A HANDLE MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A SLOT OPENING OUTWARDLY FROMTHE SURFACE OF SAID HANDLE MEMBER AND A HUB PORTION ADJACENT ONE END OFSAID HANDLE MEMBER FOR RECEIVING SAID SHAFT FOR FREE AXIAL MOVEMENTTHEREIN, MEANS ON SAID HUB PORTION FOR NONROTATABLY SECURING SAID HANDLEMEMBER TO SAID SHAFT, AND A MEMBER HAVING A FIRST DECORATIVE PORTIONLOCATED WITHIN SAID SLOT AND ANCHORED TO SAID HANDLE ADJACENT THE OTHEREND THEREOF AND A SECOND HOLDING PORTION, SAID HOLDING PORTION BEINGRELEASABLY SECURED DIRECTLY WITHIN SAID HUB AND INCLUDING MEANS OPERABLEINDEPENDENTLY OF SAID NONROTATABLE SECURING MEANS AND ENGAGEABLE WITHCOOPERATING MEANS ON SAID SHAFT TO POSITIVELY LOCK SAID SHAFT AGAINSTAXIAL MOVEMENT WITHIN SAID HUB PORTION.